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About this project

*Scroll down to see more videos and get access to the FREE! version.

Prelude?

Hey Kickstarter, thank you for checking out our project. By you just reading this, it means a lot to us. We've spent the last few months working on a game concept that we'd like to present to you now, it's called Water Games. It will be available for the full line of iPhones (3.5', 4') and iPod Touch products at launch. If funding and time allows, we would like to expand support for iPad and iPad Mini and Android OS; think of possibly stretch goals?! We also have a few other small surprises in mind, but please let us introduction ourselves.

We are Grove Media Studios!

Grove Media Studios was founded in 2013 and is a web and mobile development startup located just outside of Orlando, Fl. While it is true that our main focus has been on developing web platforms and beautiful user experiences, every now and then we come up with a brilliant idea and get really excited about it. But let me introduce myself...

My name is Jason Marchalonis; I am the founder and leader developer for Grove Media Studios. Prior to the founding of Grove Media Studios, I was a freelance web consultant in NJ who represented clients from diverse industries, education and government. I served as Media Director for the International Council for Innovation in Higher Education from 2008 to 2011 and focused on facilitating mobile education for emerging countries. But, that is enough about me!

There are two main concepts behind the idea of this project; they are nostalgia and addicting game play. There are hundreds of thousands of games currently on the App Store and we knew that to capture the market, we would really have put thought and time into creating the prefect game.

The idea is simple, do you remember those handheld games that were popular from the 60s up until around the mid 90s that would use air to propel balls, basketballs or rings through water and caught? It is ok if you don't, we do and miss those games very much so. In fact, today, it is extremely hard to get your hands on one of these and that there was the problem. The solution was simple, we decided to painstakingly recreate the game so that it can find its way back into the hearts of all of those who once played and loved it as much as we do; this goes double for preserving the experience for our future children and grandchildren.

Aqua Arcade: The Checklist!

First we had to come up with a way to simulated the effect of water and gravity. With the usage of accelerometers, we have been able to recreate the affects of the original handheld game and make it even better at the same time. You will be able to play utilizing both the accelerometers and just applied gravity.

Next, we had to maximize the screen area and optimize it for both the 3.5 and 4in Retina screens. To tackle this, we created a layering system, we can produce a breathtaking and simplistic stage that not only adds transparency for maximized screen area, but also allows for an less obtrusive controller experience. Can you imagine what this could look like on an iPad? Hint...

Next, we wanted to implement some social features, but we value your privacy and didn't want to get involved with Facebook or Twitter. So we kept it short and sweet and are going to implemented leader boards and achievements using Apple's GameCenter service. Most iPhone users who have downloaded at least one game already use their service.

Next and finally, we have been throwing around the idea of making different themes and game modes, but we did not want to create a app that relied on in-apppurchases for various reasons. For us, it is all about the user experience and in-app purchases did not fit into that model. So, once we are done building Aqua Arcade, we will push out updates with new themes and branch out into new a series of Aqua Arcade apps. For many of you who back us, these will be included in the our pledges and the updates are of course are free to current app owners!

Aqua Arcade: Beta vs. Limited Free Version

Rather than releasing an early beta version and having to collect sensitive information from our backers, we have decided that it would be in the best interested of everyone to have access to a free one level demo of Aqua Arcade called Aqua Arcade Free! which is live on the Appstore and available for all iOS devices. Direct link to the free version is as follows...

Creating this game from the concept state until where it is today has been a very time consuming process and we have noticed that we do not have all the funds it is going to take to get this to the market.

We are currently developing on older MacBook Pros which can barely handle running the Xcode and the software needed to design our graphics and multimedia effectively. So, we would like to purchase a new MacBook or iMac to speed up development processing and get this game into your hands much faster. As a small startup, this will go a long way for us as we head into the future.

Additionally, we would like to purchase test development devices so that we can ensure that our game works on each device properly. Currently, we can only testing against the built in iOS simulator which doesn't not do an justice for accelerometers and real hardware.

We must to pay Apple all applicable fees associated and any other software licenses.

Lastly, we need to explore the possibility of getting a trademark or copyright on our work; both of which are expensive and long processes.

Our minimum budget allows us to complete the game. However, the greater the amount we are able to raise, the more developers we can have working on this project; which ultimately means, better graphics and a much faster release date. We also would love to get this game to utilize the larger screen sizes of the iPad and iPad mini!

Another very important thing to remember is that, Kickstarter will not charge your credit card unless we are able to raise the minimum amount of money required. Any donations will be canceled if we do not reach our goal. We hope that is not the case and we get this game in your hands! We are really excited about this and we hope your are also.

Aqua Arcade: Previews!

Aqua Arcade: Preview Video!

Aqua Arcade Sports Edition!: Preview Video!

Add-On Pledges

From being involved in the Kickstarter community, we know from experience that people love having the ability to add on extra rewards by increasing their pledges. We think this is a great idea so here is the info!

To include an Add-On with your pledge, please do the following: Visit this page and select the Manage Your Pledge button. Increase your pledge in the Pledge Amount box by the Add-On cost (see below). DO NOT update the tier you are currently pledged at, or you will then need to add the cost of you Add-Ons to the amount of the NEW tier.

When the Kickstarter campaign concludes you will receive a survey that will allow you to indicate that you paid for these Add-Ons.

- Hats- $30 (please remember to add $5 for shipping in the US) - Name or Name of Business add to credits - $15- Gift copy of Aqua Arcade or Aqua Arcade Sports Edition (When avalibale) on iOS - $2

Our Promise?

Our promise to you is a 100% completed game and nothing less! We also pledge to you that there will be complete transparently and you will know exactly what we know, when we know! Communication is golden and we would expect nothing less of ourselves.

We are also big fans of philanthropy and you can see that from the diverse group of projects we have backed. When it comes to supporting people's dreams, we will be there! Therefore, we declare that we are dedicated to pledging 5% of any future profits made from our final version of Aqua Arcade and Aqua Arcade Sports Edition once it hits the App Store to other Kickstarter Campaigns. In addition, Grove Media Studios will be donating an additional 5% of future sales to various charities throughout the following year.

Risks and challenges

Let’s be honest, making a game is a huge undertaking. And making a GOOD game is even more challenging. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are extremely dedicated – nights and weekends included! We are on the path to something wonderful and want to share this game with you and the world.

Currently, there is a remotely small chance we could run into delays with our outdated development systems, but with the successful funding of this project, that will no longer exist and we will be able to get this project into your hands every quicker than we currently expect. If time allows, we would love to add support for the iPad and iPad mini.

Lastly, we have a great team of developers ready to work on the game and we are very excited at the talent they posses. Furthermore, we have assessed our goal meticulously and repeatedly to ensure a successful campaign. However, that doesn’t guarantee there will be no surprises.

We will create a website that allows you to request any future applications we create. Upon requesting, give us a day to two and we will send you a gift code to redeem the game in the app store. Still working out the fine details on this, but that is the basic premises.